


Waltz in a Minor Key

by yuletide_archivist



Category: Dark Is Rising Sequence - Susan Cooper
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-12-22
Updated: 2004-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-25 06:26:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1636406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuletide_archivist/pseuds/yuletide_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jane's living arrangements are somewhat different than Barney expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Waltz in a Minor Key

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Zelda Ophelia

 

 

The family had noticed that Jane was shy about inviting people around to her new flat and they figured she was somewhat sensitive about its size or state. Barney, younger brother that he was, decided to drop by. What was the point, he wondered, in having a sister living away from home if you couldn't randomly drop by and force said sibling to accommodate you?

He rang the doorbell with a grin and waited impatiently for someone to answer the door. It would be a bit of a pain if no one was home, he thought suddenly, not having thought of the possibility. Fortunately, footsteps sounded from inside - somewhat heavier than he'd thought probable for Jane - and the door opened.

"Barnabas Drew," Jane's boyfriend of a year greeted after a short pause, his eyebrow rising. He stood aside, amusement creeping into his expression, strange yellow eyes gleaming. "Welcome."

Barney sidled in, not having expected Bran Davies to be around and not entirely sure whether or not he should be delighted or suspicious. He settled somewhere halfway between.

"Wasn't expecting you to be here," he muttered, shrugging out of his winter jacket and backpack and looking around. "Where's Jane?"

The place was a lot nicer than he was expecting, he decided, the roof painted and wallpaper glued properly to the walls. The couch looked comfortable, the fireplace was currently occupied with a symphony of flames and the rug that covered the floor was woven of rich blues and golds.

Bran closed the door softly and turned to him, his pose as arrogantly understated as always, "At the shops. She's picking up a few extra things for dinner."

"Oh," Barney responded brilliantly.

A smile touched the pale face. "She'll be back soon enough if you want to wait. Make yourself comfortable. I'll get some tea."

He considered leaving, still not comfortable in Bran's company without Jane's gentling influence, but found himself wandering in the direction of the bookshelf instead. It took up one wall, half-buried though it was behind the brocade-covered sofa and was packed with books, larger university texts on the lower shelves, paperbacks and novels further up.

He skimmed an eye and finger along the higher shelves, noticing all the classic literature interspersed with lighter reading material and grinned to himself. Jane had always been a reader, which had made presents so much easier. He even recognised a few of the books as ones he'd gifted to Jane. He was more interested by the more action oriented Frederick Forsyth and Alistair MacLean books. He hadn't realised Jane read them, although he supposed she could be storing them for Bran.

He moved on to browsing the lower shelves, noting the small but solid collection of books on the history of Great Britain, both fictional and factual. He paused over the books on Arthurian legend, still a favourite subject, before moving on.

The books on graphic design, famous designers and periods of design in history were again surprising, but not completely so. Bran was a graphic designer after all and it wouldn't be strange for Jane to develop an interest there. The presence of jewellery design books were slightly more baffling and he pulled out one of them at random, becoming immediately fascinated by the complex designs that covered glossy pages.

He was distracted from his browsing by Bran. "Do you take milk or sugar?"

"Both, thank you," he answered, standing and coming out from behind the couch.

"Right."

Bran disappeared again and Barney followed him out of the room slowly, his gaze looking around with interest.

"How does Jane afford this place?" He asked as he entered the kitchen after Bran, again noting the tidy cupboards and clean floor tiles.

Bran glanced around, eyebrow flying. It took him a few moments to answer as he looked through Barney intently. Barney shifted uncomfortably but managed to hold Bran's gaze.

"She has flatmates," he answered slowly before tipping a spoonful of sugar into the mugs set before him. The spoon tinkled against the sides of the mug before he passed it across. "Two of them."

Barney took the mug, absently nodding his thanks. "But she never mentioned having flatmates," he murmured, making it a question as much as a statement.

"Mm."

Bran raised his mug to his lips and drank before moving back towards the parlour.

The two of them were in the doorway when a key sounded in the front door and Jane walked in followed shortly afterwards by a rather tall figure. The taller of the two, Barney noted, was male and was helping Jane out of her coat, smiling down at her from a warm round face, cheeks pinkened by the cold. He turned to put the coat on the hooks by the door before removing his own.

Jane was smiling back, "Thank you, Will."

Barney's eyebrows drew close as he noticed the warmth between the two. He glanced at Bran and noticed a similar smile on his face.

"Did you find the rice, Will?"

Will turned around, his eyes pausing on Barney in recognition, "I did. Beef curry for dinner tonight. Are you here for dinner, Barney?"

Barney couldn't help but grin back at an old friend he hadn't seen in a few years, "Will! What are you doing here?"

Will looked puzzled momentarily before his face cleared, "I'm here to make supper. I promised Jane and Bran, you see, that I'd cook for them tonight. There'll be plenty if you are staying."

Jane had reached Barney by then and she threw her arms around him before he could answer, forcing Barney to protect his tea and hug her back all at the same time, eyes rolling as he patted her on the back.

"Barney, it's good to see you," she said and released him with a smile. "Do stay. It'll be lovely to catch up a bit, even if I am coming home in a few days for Christmas."

Barney nodded, "Of course I'll stay. It'll be super to see Will again. I haven't seen you for ages."

Will smiled, "At least four years, I think. I saw Simon not too long ago, but you're away at school."

Will, Barney noticed as he came towards the door to the kitchen, was a lot taller than he used to be. He had to be a couple of inches over six feet and his shoulders had expanded in quite an impressive manner. Barney moved off to the side, still cradling his mug of tea.

Will raised a hand and laid it on Bran's shoulder as he passed, the Welsh boy's eyes gleamed in response and then Jane was pulling her brother towards the couch, pushing him down and starting in on the questions.

"Will's off to cook dinner. Tell me how things are at Art School at the moment. Did you get that painting finished on time? What are you working on now? How's Allie? Did you manage to get to that exhibition you wanted to see?"

Barney grinned and patiently waited for the list of questions to end.

Bran sat himself down on the armrest and slipped an arm around Jane's shoulder, grinning at the overwhelmed brother and rolling his eyes in sympathetic male understanding.

"Give him time to answer, love," he murmured in amusement.

Barney smiled his thanks as Jane broke off to glare briefly at her boyfriend and took the few moments Bran had bought him to settle in for a long interrogation.

**  
"I was hoping I'd be able to stay tonight, Jane," Barney hinted when the four of them had finished most of Will's superb curry.

The uncomfortable silence that greeted the request had him glancing around in curiosity. To his left, Will was looking as open and welcoming as usual, Bran as closed as usual and Jane was looking down at her plate.

Bran shifted closer to her as Will the broke the silence, "I don't see how that could be a problem. You'll have to bunk down on the couch though, unless you want to sleep on the floor in the bedroom."

"That would be..." Something came to mind. "What about your flatmates? Bran said you had two."

Jane looked up and smiled tightly and glanced away, lost for words.

"Will and I live here," Bran broke in when it became obvious that Jane wasn't about to answer. His voice was serious and he moved even closer to Jane, his arm coming up to rest along the back of her chair in a silent show of support. "We all moved in at the same time after ending up with jobs in the area."

Barney frowned, "What? But... Do Mother and Father know?"

Jane shook her head, guilt shading her expression, "No. Not yet."

Barney laughed suddenly. "I guess I can see how they wouldn't be too happy about you living in the same flat as Bran, but Will wouldn't be a problem surely? Mother likes Will, I think. Although I expect she would prefer if you had a girl for a flatmate as well."

Will sighed, sending a long look in Bran's direction. Then they both turned to Jane and Barney suddenly felt left out. There was a lot of communication going on without words and he hadn't known they were all that close. He frowned again, curious.

Jane sighed suddenly and dropped her head into a nod.

Will smiled brilliantly, "Part of the reason, I think, that Jane hasn't mentioned anything is that there are only two bedrooms in the flat. One of them is mine."

It took a few moments to figure out what Will was actually saying and Barney's eyes went wide as he stared at Bran and Jane.

"Oh!" he said, shocked for some reason, though he had plenty of friends at Art School who lived with their boyfriend or girlfriend. But he hadn't really expected it of Jane and was unsure how to react. Such living arrangements were becoming more common, but were still generated disapproval.

Barney noticed that Bran had reached out and taken Jane's hand and her knuckles were white where she clutched at it. He was focused on her, leaving the explanations to Will.

"If it makes you fell better, I expect," Will murmured. "That Jane and Bran will get married sometime soon."

Bran looked up at Will's last comment, as did Jane. Both of them looked saddened and strangely indignant.

Will's steady gaze caught Bran's as he opened his mouth, and the albino subsided, though the small wrinkle between his brows stayed in place and was stern enough to indicate that the matter wasn't finished. It was long seconds before he turned his attention back to Jane.

"I know I should probably tell Mother and Father, Barney, but I don't know how they'd take it. I'm..."

Barney nodded his understanding, although he thought it strange. Jane was generally fairly straightforward and if she thought this was right, then surely she would have told Mother and Father. Although he did know she would hate to cause their parents discomfort, as he would too.

"Why don't you just get engaged then?" He asked.

Bran laughed shortly and stared at him while Jane looked hopeful. Will raised his eyebrows and looked at his friend.

"That's a good question, Bran. Why don't you?"

He was opening his mouth to reply when Will cut him off. "You love her, she loves you. Seems to me that you could ask her now." He grinned and stood. "Come with me for a sec, I want to show you something."

Bran complied, looking fairly unhappy and Jane was, by this time, looking almost as bad.

When they were gone, Barney turned to Jane. "Are you sure you like him?"

Jane went from unhappy to annoyed and Barney, though slightly proud of himself for fulfilling a brother's duty, felt like a bit of a heel.

"Barney," she snapped. "You don't know anything so stay out of it."

Unwilling to push her any further, Barney asked after the bathroom and headed up the passage, following Jane's directions.

The low murmuring of voices in one of the rooms attracted his attention and he paused.

"...have said it if I minded, Bran. This will work best." Will was speaking, his voice modulated and reasonable.

Bran was resistant, but seemed to be agreeing. "Don't you think we should tell Jane first. She's involved in this too."

"Do you really think she'll disagree?"

Barney frowned as he listened, having no idea what they were talking about but knowing it was important.

"Here." Something had obviously been given to Bran. "I've been working on this for a while. At least you'll know that I'm in this too and that you have my blessing, that I'm okay with this."

"Will..." Bran sounded less certain than Barney had ever heard him.

"I'm okay with this," Will reiterated, a smile now in his voice.

Barney waited for more, but there was nothing but the soft sounds of movement and a sigh, so he made his way to the bathroom and when he got back, he found Will and Jane had migrated to the couch and Bran was washing up and making coffee.

Jane seemed okay, and was leaning back against Will, her aura calm again.

**  
Jane had provided Barney with blankets, sheets and a towel. She had finally given him a brief tour of the flat, pointing out the room she and Bran stayed in - the one Bran and Will had been talking in earlier - with a light flush to her cheeks. Will's room was the only other door off the tiny passage and the tour was over, Barney washing up in the bathroom as Jane disappeared into her room.

He returned to the lounge shortly afterwards and found Will and Bran on the couch, talking quietly. Barney slowed down and watched the two curiously, seeing Will lay his hand on Bran's shoulder again, where it stayed, an affectionate gesture that both were obviously comfortable with. Then Will's thumb moved, slowly stroking Bran's skin above his neckline and Bran shivered, his eyes seeming to drop to Will's mouth.

Barney's eye widened and he blinked.

Will turned then, his hand dropping quite suddenly. He didn't betray any emotion other than mild curiosity as his gaze found Barney's.

"Ready to sleep, Barney? We'll be off to our rooms then and leave you in peace."

He stood and stretched, not noticing the way Bran's eyes tracked the movement and Barney's mind began to piece together an awful possibility. Anger didn't exist yet, but if the pieces fell together in his mind, he knew it would.

He settled himself on the couch when the two men disappeared, the lights off and curtains keeping out the streetlights and found himself unable to sleep.

He'd always had luck following his instincts and wasn't willing to ignore them now.

He'd noticed Will and Bran's complete lack of self-consciousness with one another, small touches such as Will's hand on Bran's shoulder seeming to be common enough to be made without conscious thought. It was nothing that wouldn't occur between close friends, despite the air both Bran and Will had that indicated they preferred not to be touched.

Nor did he think the two would be touching each other quite as often if they conscious of people watching. He'd also noticed, right back when they'd first met up in Wales as children, that they had a strange understanding stringing them together. He'd recently seen it between Bran and Jane as well.

Barney shifted restlessly against the couch cushions.

No matter how uncomfortable Bran made him feel at times, he liked the albino and thought he and Jane were right together.

He remembered seeing them the Christmas previous when Jane had brought her boyfriend to dinner, shortly before she'd moved to this new flat. They had worked harmoniously together, despite occasional arguments that were obviously expected and common, that he had been expecting an announcement of their engagement ever since.

But if Bran had that same level of interaction with Will, what did it mean for his sister and Bran?

Frustrated, Barney also considered the conversation at the dinner table and the one he'd overheard. Will wanted Jane to marry Bran, was urging Bran towards such a permanent move, but didn't seem willing to give the Welsh man up either, if the scene on the couch was any indication.

Barney turned again, restlessly and stared into the looming shadows of the lounge and hoped for sleep and, more than that, a guarantee of his sister's happiness.

**  
Morning arrived with ponderous speed and Barney had finally dropped into sleep when he was woken by low murmuring. His eyes cracked open and standing in the kitchen, visible through the doorway were Jane and Will.

Barney blinked and his eyes cleared.

Yes, Jane was leaning against Will, his arms around her and a smile on his face as he looked down at the top of her head.

"Have a good day at work, won't you. Don't do too much."

Jane nodded and shifted back. "I know. Tell Barney I'll see him at Christmas, but don't tell him we're engaged yet."

Will nodded his agreement, his arms dropping from their place at the small of Jane's back. "Of course not. You still need to get him back for bringing up the topic after all."

Barney rolled his eyes, though he was still dazed by the intimacy that existed between his sister and Will. This was getting confusing. First their was Jane and Bran, then Bran and Will and now Will and Jane.

Jane chose that moment to go up on her toes, hand resting against Will's chest, and kiss him briefly on the mouth. She smiled and headed for the door, getting her coat off the hook and slipping into it with practised ease. Bran appeared then, tiptoeing across the floor past Barney. Will followed him to the door, leaned down and brushed his lips over Bran's, without warning. He got a tiny frown in reply. Bran shrugged then and wandered out the door with Jane, who passed him his coat, unruffled by her two male flatmates kissing.

Barney was expecting a headache to begin beating some sense into or out of him anytime now.

"Tea or coffee?"

Barney started when he realised Will was watching him with a smile, expression still open and mysterious because of it.

"Uh," Barney started, pushing himself into a sitting position, wondering if tea would be enough to stave off a headache. "Sure."

He swung his legs off the couch and meandered into the kitchen, staring at nothing as he tried to figure things out.S

"Barnabas Drew," Will spoke, still putting together mugs of tea and slipping slices of bread into the toaster. "You're not so confused as all that. It is Jane, Bran and myself."

Barney's mouth dropped open as the confirmation came. He had been expecting such an outcome, but it was still a little beyond his comprehension. A mug was placed in front of him as Will caught his eyes and stared at him. He found himself nodding slowly.

"Jane and Bran will get married. You heard that, right?"

Barney nodded again.

Will shrugged, "I'll be their best man, I'm sure I'll write a wonderful speech and send them away on their honeymoon, but when they come back it'll still be the three of us living together."

Barney nodded, then his eyes narrowed suddenly as a thought occurred to him. "So why is Bran marrying Jane? Why not you?"

Shrugging, Will took a mouthful of his tea, though his eyes were far away. "It's better that way. Convention requires one partner and Bran will always be there for her." Will looked over at Barney again, eyes sincere. "He loves her a lot. And she loves him. They'll get married. That's as it should be." He smiled. "And I don't mind so much as Bran would."

"But you love her too?" Barney questioned quietly, already knowing that Bran and Jane were in love, but requiring a greater assurance that this strange arrangement had a steady base.

Will's face began to glow. "I love both of them very much," he said with such conviction that Barney, once more, found himself nodding.

"So what do you want from me?"

His head tilted to one side, Will shrugged again. "Nothing more than what you're willing to give."

And Barney thought hard.

"Well..." he drew the sound out. "I expect I'll hurt both you and Bran if anything happens to my sister, and I still don't know if I like this whole arrangement with the three of you. It's rather strange."

Will ruefully nodded his agreement. "It is, but I hope you'll give us a chance to prove it works."

Barney figured he could do that much for his sister and said as much.

And knowing Simon would be a stick-in-the-mud about disapproving of all this, it would be up to him alone to keep his future brother-in-law and brother-in-law-in-all-but-name accountable for his sister's happiness and well-being.

Barney decided to take Will up on his unspoken offer to randomly drop by, forcing them to prove Jane's happiness, whilst accommodating him at the same time.

There really were, he grinned heading to the train station not long after, some amazing opportunities in the situation.

 

 

 


End file.
